Hot stamp material

ABSTRACT

A hot stamp material is provided which includes a base; an inner release layer; an intermediate layer composed at least one gold and silver coating and an outer adhesive layer composed of edible material, wherein the inner release layer together with the intermediate layer and the outer layer are laminated on the base. According to a feature of the present invention, the hot stamp material can further include an additional color layer. The color layer may interposed between the inner release layer and the intermediate layer or between the intermediate layer and the outer adhesive layer or on both sides of the intermediate layer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a hot stamp material, which isuseful for hot stamping foods. The hot stamp material can also be usedfor hot stamping beverages and other liquid material by means of awater-soluble edible film stamped with the hot stamp material.

Previously described hot stamp materials which utilize one of gold andsilver material include a base film, a release layer, a film of gold orsilver, which is vapor-deposited on the base film and an adhesive layer,which are sequentially laminated.

Conventional hot stamping methods encompass stamping a substrate withthe hot stamp material, such that the gold or silver film is generallyreleased from the base film. The release of the gold or silver film, inturn, causes the adhesive layer, which is generally coated on the goldor silver film, to undergo a conformational change. The resultingconformational change, in turn, enables the adhesive layer toeffectively attach the gold or silver film to the underlying substrate.The gold or silver film is thus hot-stamped.

However, conventional hot stamps can not be used to hot stamp foods andbeverages, due, in part, to the toxicity of the adhesive layer.Accordingly, the inherent toxicity of the adhesive layer, makesconventional hot stamping material uneatable and toxic to mammalsincluding humans. As such, prior art hot stamp materials are not usefulfor hot stamping edible items for consumption by mammals includinghumans, such as, food and beverages.

The toxicity of previously described adhesive layers included inconventional hot stamp materials derives from the various thermoplasticsynthetic resins and organic solvents, which are essential components ofconventional hot stamping materials.

Accordingly, conventional hot stamping materials can not be used to hotstamp intricate gold or silver prints or designs onto edible items. Inrecent years, characters, patterns or designs composed of gold etc. havefound widespread use in decorating various substrates. The increaseddemand for decorative hot stamps useful for decorating edible substrateshas created a need for a hot stamp material useful for decorating ediblefood items including beverages.

Previous attempts at stamping intricate designs and patterns composed ofgold and silver onto edible items have so far been unsuccessful. Onesuch method for hot stamping intricate characters, patterns and designsonto edible items, e.g., beverages, proposes cutting the design ofinterest by means of a sharp blade or object from a sheet of beaten orrolled gold foil. This step is then followed by floating the design in abeverage.

Unfortunately, this method is both costly and labor intensive. Due tothe extensive manual labor involved in practicing this method, theoverall cost of hot stamping edible items is greatly increased with anattendant decrease in the overall production of the desired method.

The prior art method is also not suitable to quickly form complex orsmall and fine characters, patterns or designs. Additionally, the priorart method is also unsuitable for mass production. The present inventionaims to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hot stamp materialwhich can be used to imprint characters, patterns or designs in the formof an edible gold or silver film, onto edible items including ediblefilms.

Another object of the present invention is to provide edible materialsincluding foods and water-soluble films that are hot-stamped with thehot stamp material.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide drinkableor edible materials including foods or beverages that are provided withthe water-soluble edible film hot-stamped with the hot stamp material.

Briefly, there is provided a hot stamp material which includes a base;an inner release layer; an intermediate layer containing at least onegold and silver and an outer adhesive layer composed of edible material,wherein the inner release layer together with the intermediate layer andthe outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base.

According to a feature of the present invention, the hot stamp materialcan further include an additional color layer. The layer may beinterposed between the inner release layer and the intermediate layer orbetween the intermediate layer and the outer adhesive layer or on bothsides of the intermediate layer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided ahot stamp material which includes a base, an inner release layerconsisting essentially of at least one material selected from the groupconsisting of food additives, edible materials, and materials effectivefor coating food wrapping materials, an intermediate layer composed ofat least one of gold and silver coating, an outer adhesive layercomposed of edible material, wherein each of the inner release layer,intermediate layer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base.

According to another embodiment of the present invention there isprovided a hot stamp material which includes a base, an inner releaselayer consisting essentially of at least one material selected from thegroup consisting of food additives, edible materials, and materialseffective for coating food wrapping materials, an intermediate layerincluding a foil composed of at least one of gold and silver, and anouter adhesive layer composed of edible material, wherein each of theinner release layer, intermediate layer and outer adhesive layer arelaminated on the base.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided anedible material imprinted with at least one layer of one of gold andsilver on at least one surface of the edible material, by means of a hotstamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein the hot stampmaterial comprises a base, an inner release layer consisting essentiallyof at least one material selected from the group consisting of foodadditives, edible materials, and materials effective for coating foodwrapping materials, an intermediate layer composed of at least one ofgold and silver coating, an outer adhesive layer composed of ediblematerial, and wherein each of the inner release layer, intermediatelayer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided anedible material imprinted with at least one layer of one of gold andsilver on at least one surface of the edible material, by means of a hotstamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein the hot stampmaterial includes a base, an inner release layer consisting essentiallyof at least one material selected from the group consisting of foodadditives, edible materials, and materials effective for coating foodwrapping materials, an intermediate layer including a foil composed ofat least one of gold and silver, an outer adhesive layer composed of anedible material, wherein each of the inner release layer, intermediatelayer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided anedible material imprinted with at least one image of one of gold andsilver on both surfaces of the edible material, by means of a hot stampwhich includes a hot stamp material, wherein the hot stamp materialincludes a base, an inner release layer consisting essentially of atleast one material selected from the group consisting of food additives,edible materials, and materials effective for coating food wrappingmaterials, an intermediate layer composed of at least one of gold andsilver coating, an outer adhesive layer composed of edible material, andwherein each of the inner release layer, intermediate layer and outeradhesive layer are laminated on the base, wherein the edible materialincludes the imprint on both sides

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided anedible material imprinted with at least one image of one of gold andsilver on both surfaces of the edible material, by means of a hot stampwhich includes a hot stamp material, wherein the hot stamp materialincludes a base, an inner release layer consisting essentially of atleast one material selected from the group consisting of food additives,edible materials, and materials effective for coating food wrappingmaterials, an intermediate layer composed of at least one of gold andsilver foil, an outer adhesive layer composed of edible material, andwherein each of the inner release layer, intermediate layer and outeradhesive layer are laminated on the base, wherein the edible materialincludes the imprint on both sides.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is included awater soluble material imprinted with at least one layer of one of goldand silver on at least one surface of the water soluble material, bymeans of a hot stamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein thehot stamp material includes a base, an inner release layer consistingessentially of at least one material selected from the group consistingof food additives, edible materials, and materials effective for coatingfood wrapping materials, an intermediate layer composed of at least oneof gold and silver coating, an outer adhesive layer, wherein theadhesive layer is shellac, and wherein each of the inner release layer,intermediate layer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided awater soluble material imprinted with at least one layer of one of goldand silver on at least one surface of the water soluble material, bymeans of a hot stamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein thehot stamp material includes, a base, an inner release layer consistingessentially of at least one material selected from the group consistingof food additives, edible materials, and materials effective for coatingfood wrapping materials, an intermediate layer including a foil composedof at least one of gold and silver, an outer adhesive layer, wherein theadhesive layer is shellac, wherein each of the inner release layer,intermediate layer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided awater soluble material imprinted with at least one image of one of goldand silver on both surfaces of the water soluble material, by means of ahot stamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein the hot stampmaterial comprises, a base, an inner release layer consistingessentially of at least one material selected from the group consistingof food additives, edible materials, and materials effective for coatingfood wrapping materials, an intermediate layer composed of at least oneof gold and silver coating, an outer adhesive layer composed of ediblematerial, wherein each of the inner release layer, intermediate layerand outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base, wherein the watersoluble material includes the imprint on both sides.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided awater soluble material imprinted with at least one image of one of goldand silver on both surfaces of the water soluble material, by means of ahot stamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein the hot stampmaterial includes a base, an inner release layer consisting essentiallyof at least one material selected from the group consisting of foodadditives, edible materials, and materials effective for coating foodwrapping materials, an intermediate layer composed of at least one ofgold and silver foil, an outer adhesive layer composed of ediblematerial, and wherein each of the inner release layer, intermediatelayer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base, wherein thewater soluble material includes the imprint on both sides. According toanother embodiment of the invention, there is included a water solublematerial imprinted with at least one layer of one of gold and silver onat least one surface of the water soluble material, by means of a hotstamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein the hot stampmaterial includes a base, an inner release layer consisting essentiallyof at least one material selected from the group consisting of foodadditives, edible materials, and materials effective for use as foodwrapping materials, an intermediate layer composed of at least one ofgold and silver coating, an outer adhesive layer formed of an edibleadhesive, and wherein each of the inner release layer, intermediatelayer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided awater soluble material imprinted with at least one layer of one of goldand silver on at least one surface of the water soluble material, bymeans of a hot stamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein thehot stamp material includes, a base, an inner release layer consistingessentially of at least one material selected from the group consistingof food additives, edible materials, and materials effective for coatingfood wrapping materials, an intermediate layer including a foil composedof at least one of gold and silver, an outer adhesive layer, wherein theadhesive layer formed of an edible adhesive, wherein each of the innerrelease layer, intermediate layer and outer adhesive layer are laminatedon the base.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided awater soluble material imprinted with at least one image of one of goldand silver on at least one surface of the water soluble material, bymeans of a hot stamp which includes a hot stamp material, wherein thehot stamp material comprises, a base, an inner release layer consistingessentially of at least one material selected from the group consistingof food additives, edible materials, and materials effective for coatingfood wrapping materials, an intermediate layer composed of at least oneof gold and silver coating, an outer adhesive layer composed of ediblematerial, wherein each of the inner release layer, intermediate layerand outer adhesive layer are laminated on the base, wherein the watersoluble material includes the imprint on both sides.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following description read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals designate the same elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an embodiment of thepresently claimed hot stamp material.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an edible film hot-stamped with an image,using the hot-stamp material of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a container wherein an image imprintedon water-soluble film, which has dissolved, is seen floating in abeverage.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an image deposited on a substrate suchas food after its underlying water-soluble film has dissolved by themoisture contained in the food.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an image of a character,pattern or design is imprinted on a film by means of the hot stampmaterial of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a film in which the entire surfaces on bothsides of the film are hot-stamped with a gold or silver film.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a film in which the entire surfaces on bothsides of the film are hot-stamped with a gold or silver film.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a laminate including a film, anadhesive and a support for supporting the film by means of an adhesive.

FIG. 9 illustrates a process wherein a zein layer is laminated on a filmsupported by a support by means of an adhesive.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a laminate which includes a layerof zein laminated on a film supported by a support.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a laminate wherein an adhesive islaminated on a support.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a laminate formed by sequentiallylaminating an adhesive, an edible film and a layer of zein on a support.

FIG. 13 illustrates a process in which a hot stamp material as shown inFIG. 1 is hot-stamped on a film including the layer of zein according toFIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a preformed print formed byhot-stamping the hot stamp material of FIG. 1 on the laminate of FIG.12.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an example of a hot stamp print formedin accordance with FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the hot stamp print of FIG. 15, whereinthe edible film including the layer of zein is peeled off the support,leaving behind an outline of the image on the support.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the hot stamp printing process of FIG.16, wherein the image left on the support is being peeled within filmfrom the adhesive layer on the support by means of a plier.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a support formed of paper.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a laminate including a paper, a support,and a film and a layer of zein which are sequentially laminated on thepaper support.

FIG. 20 a sectional view of a hot stamp printing formed by hot-stampingthe hot stamp material of FIG. 1 on the laminate of FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides, a hotstamp material structure comprising a base, an inner release layer, anintermediate layer, and an outer adhesive layer composed of ediblematerial, wherein the release layer, the intermediate layer, and theadhesive layer are laminated sequentially on the base. (hereinafterreferred to as "basic structure"). The term outer adhesive layercomposed of edible material includes an adhesive layer formed of anedible adhesive, wherein the edible adhesive includes at least oneedible material.

The inner release layer includes at least one material selected from thegroup consisting of food additives, at least one edible material, andmaterials capable of being used to coat food wrapping materials.

Preferably, the inner release layer is formed essentially of silicone,which can be used food wrapping material.

The intermediate layer is composed of at least one of gold and silver,wherein the layer of one of gold includes pure gold or high-grade gold,while the silver layer may include pure silver or high-grade silver.

The intermediate layer containing one of gold and silver layer arepreferably formed by vacuum deposition or sputtering. Alternatively, theintermediate layer may be replaced with a sheet of one of gold andsilver, wherein the sheet is beaten or rolled into a foil having apredetermined thickness.

The basic structure may further include a color layer to enhance theoverall appearance of the intermediate gold or silver layer. The colorlayer is preferentially interposed between the release layer and theintermediate layer composed of one of gold and silver layer.Alternatively, the color layer may be interposed between theintermediate layer and one of an adhesive layer and an adhesive layercomposed of edible material. Alternatively, the color layer may beincluded on both a top and bottom side of the intermediate layer.

The adhesive layer is formed of an edible adhesive, preferablycontaining shellac, which is non-toxic to mammals including humans.

Edible refers to that property which includes ingestion of a materialwhich is not harmful to mammals including humans. Edible collectivelyrefers to any material that may be ingested in either liquid or solidform or any other form suitable to mammals including humans, andincludes beverages.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafterwith reference to the attached drawings. Adhesive layer 9 may include anadhesive layer formed of edible material.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hot stamp material 5 includes a base 6, an innerrelease layer 7, an intermediate layer 8 and an outer adhesive layer 9which are sequentially laminated in that order. FIG. 1 illustrates theorder in which the release layer 7, intermediate layer 8 and outeradhesive layer 9 are sequentially laminated onto base 6. It is notedthat FIG. 1 does not show the actual thicknesses of each respectivelayer. Indeed, FIGS. 5, 8-14 and 18-20 also do not accurately show theactual thicknesses of the various layers.

Base 6 is substantially heat resistant, transparent, pressure resistant,and releasability resistant. Examples of materials suitable for use asbase 6 include paper and plastic films made of polyester, polypropylene,polycarbonate, polyamide and polyethyleneterephthalate.

The thickness of base 6 is preferably from about 10 to about 30 micronsif made from a plastic film, and about 40-70 microns if composed ofpaper and similar materials. It is understood that base 6 need not belimited to the above-mentioned ranges. It is preferred that the paperused for base 6 be free of substances toxic to mammals including humans,such as fluorescent dyes, formalin, and polychlorobiphenyl (PCB).

Preferred examples of a suitable paper include glassine paper,cellophane paper and paraffin paper. However, other types of paper mayalso be used including a roll or a cut sheet.

Inner release layer 7 consists essentially of a silicone-type releaseagent or a silicone capable of being used to coat food wrappingmaterial. Inner release layer 7 may also be formed of a food additive orother edible material. Other edible materials suitable for use as aninner release layer 7 according to the present invention include asilicone type defoaming agent or defoamer.

The amount of material applied to form the release layer 7 preferablyranges from about 0.05 to about 1.5 gram per square centimeter, if thematerial is a silicone-type release agent. The present invention is notlimited to the above-mentioned range so long as the thickness does notinterfere with the operability of the release layer.

The method used to apply the silicone-type release agent to base 6 ispreferably a printing method, such as gravure printing, silk printing oroffset printing. Alternatively, the silicone-type release agent may beapplied to base 6 by means of brushing or spraying.

The term "silicone" is normally understood to includeorganopolysiloxanes. However, the term "silicone" as used in thisspecification further includes organic silicon compounds and silaneswithout oxygen (silicon hydrides), and may exist in various forms, suchas a resin, oil or rubber.

Dimethyl-type silicone is preferred as the release agent, because it hasa small surface tension. Accordingly, it readily spreads into a thinfilm or coating, thereby effectively wetting the surface of an ediblesubstrate when applied thereto. This effect is also observed when thesurface of the substrate has micro-size undulations. Dimethyl-typesilicone also has the advantage of possessing superior releasability,high heat resistance, together with being extremely resistant todenaturation and decomposition. Dimethyl-type silicone is also harmlesswhen ingested by mammals including humans and can be handled safely.

The release agent for use in inner release layer 7 may further include acoating material suitable for a food wrapping material. Examples of sucha suitable release agent include materials containing, as essentialcomponents, vinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin, copolymers of siliconeresin and vinyl acetate resin, copolymers of silicone resin and acrylicresin, acrylic ester, and acrylate copolymers, all of which are suitablefor use as a coating material for food wrapping materials. Further, therelease agent may also be a surface active agent containing, silicone, alubricant such as paraffine wax, fluorocarbon resin, and similarcomponents.

Intermediate layer 8, which is composed of at least one of gold andsilver coating (hereinafter collectively referred to as intermediatelayer 8) is used to coat the underlying inner release layer 7, in oneembodiment. It may be gold or silver-deposited onto release layer 7 bymeans of vapor deposition using a vacuum deposition apparatus, andsimilar components. The resulting gold or silver coating ischaracterized as being substantially pure wherein the level of purity ofthe coated layer is comparable to that of at least one of pure gold,silver, high-grade gold or high-grade silver.

For purposes of this invention, the terms "gold" and "silver"encompasses both pure gold and pure silver together with high-gradesilver and high-grade gold with minimum impurities.

The thickness of intermediate layer 8 is preferably from about 400 toabout 800 Å, although it is not limited to this range.

The method for coating intermediate layer 8 onto inner release layer 7is not limited to vacuum deposition. Indeed, intermediate layer 8 may becoated on the underlying inner release layer 7 by one of sputtering,activated reaction deposition, ion plating and similar procedures.Sputtering provides an added advantage in allowing one skilled in theart to create an intermediate layer 8 wherein the gold or silver contentincludes a gold or silver content of about 99.99%.

Intermediate layer 8, need not necessarily be deposited on inner releaselayer 7. Instead, it can be manually placed on inner release layer 7 asone of a gold or silver sheet, beaten or rolled into a foil.

The beaten foil of one of gold and silver has a predetermined thickness,of from about 0.0001 to about 0.0002 mm, although the thickness need notbe limited to this range.

The foil composed of one of gold and silver effective for use asintermediate layer 8, should be edible, in that the content of the goldor silver should be limited to a range which is not harmful to mammalsincluding humans. Accordingly, a gold foil having a compositionexemplified by 94.4% gold, 4.9% silver and 0.7% copper is preferable.The gold content in the foil should not be less than 94.4%, although itis not limited to this range.

Likewise, a silver foil suitable for use as intermediate layer 8 shouldpreferably include pure silver or high-grade silver. The silver contentof the silver foil is not limited to any particular range, so long asits content is not harmful to mammals including humans. The same holdstrue for one of a gold and silver coating.

In the event, intermediate layer 8 includes one of a gold and silverfoil, it can be electrostatically attached to release layer 7 bycarefully placing the foil on an electrostatically charged inner releaselayer 7. It is noted that such a procedure will inevitably result insome air being present in between release layer 7 and intermediate layer8. In order to remove the sandwiched layer of air trapped in betweenrelease layer 7 and the gold or silver foil, the air is let out throughnumerous preexisting pin holes in the gold or silver foil. This allowsfor securely attaching one of a gold and silver foils onto release layer7. The same holds true for one of a gold and silver coating.

As used herein, the term "coating" when used in reference tointermediate layer 8 means vacuum deposition, sputtering, or the like.Alternatively, the term "foil" when used in reference to intermediatelayer 8 means a sheet or foil of gold or silver beaten to apredetermined thickness.

Adhesive layer 9 is formed by applying an edible adhesive. Examples ofan edible adhesive suitable for adhesive layer 9 include at least one ofstarch syrup, processed starch, such as CMS (carboxymethyl starch), CMC(carboxymethyl cellulose), food gum, sodium alginate, food naturalresin, and food natural products.

A preferred adhesive material is shellac. Shellac is a resin secreted bythe lac scale insect (Coccoidea). Shellac is characterized as having anappropriate thermal plasticity and thermal curability. Furthermore,shellac is harmless to mammals including humans and it readily adheresto the underlying substrate, which may include a coating or foil ofintermediate layer.

Since shellac is readily soluble in alcohol, it is mechanically suitablefor use in conjunction with an applying apparatus such as a coater.Indeed shellac is characterized as forming a tough coat when applied asa coating layer. Accordingly, coatings containing shellac provide for animproved means for preventing damage such as scratching to the adhesivelayer.

If shellac is used to form adhesive layer 9, it is preferable todissolve liquified shellac in ethanol in order to obtain from about 20to about 40% shellac ethanol solution, followed by applying from about1.5 to about 2.5 grams of the shellac solution per square meter.However, these values are not restrictive.

Adhesive layer 9 may be formed of other edible adhesives, such as powderof konjak (the starch of the devil's-tongue), gum arabic, soy bean, beanprotein, egg white, starch powder of crawfish (Crustacea), kelp powder.

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided anedible material. As used herein, "edible film/material" refers to asubstance that is non-toxic to mammals including humans, when ingested.The edible material is exemplified by one of a water-soluble film andwater-insoluble film. Water soluble and water-insoluble films are coatedwith a layer of one of gold and silver, which is then hot stamped bymeans of the hot stamp material. Water insoluble edible film refers tothat property/film wherein the addition of a plasticizer such as one ofolein acid, propylene glycol and shellac to the edible film makes thewater soluble edible film insoluble in water.

The water soluble edible material SO as shown in FIG. 2 is preferablyformed essentially of a water-soluble natural polysaccharide obtainedfrom starch, such as pullulan, agar etc. As such, the edible film SO iswater soluble in a water bath having a temperature range of about 0° C.to 100° C.

Films of pullulan are used in many ways in the food industry. Anadvantage of using pullulan film is its high water solubility, hightransparency and its suitability for printing. The edible materials ofthe invention are not limited to pullulan, and may comprise materialsformed essentially of a medicinal wafer, collagen, gelatin, carrageenan,alginate, natural gum, etc.

When hot stamp material 5, comprising a foil as the intermediate layeris used to imprint food or other edible materials, a foil of pure orhigh-grade gold or silver separates from the hot stamping materialtogether with an edible adhesive from inner release layer 7 andtransfers to the food or substrate by means of the edible adhesive.

Alternatively, when a hot stamp material 5 comprising an intermediatelayer of at least one of gold and silver coating is used to imprint asubstrate such as food and other edible materials, hot-stamped, theintermediate layer of one of gold and silver coating together with theadhesive layer separates from by the release layer from the base.

As a result, the edible gold or silver image is transferred to andattached by means of the edible adhesive to food or other ediblematerial such as an edible material.

An image of a character, pattern or design contained in the hot stamp,formed of gold or silver, is thus transferred to the substrate. Theresulting hot-stamped image or imprint can thereafter be eaten togetherwith the food.

Referring to FIG. 2, image M1, containing a character, a pattern or adesign is imprinted on a film composed of at least one of pure gold andpure silver coating and is transferred to edible material SO with theaid of the hot stamp material 5.

Hot stamp material 5 may also be hot-stamped on either or both sides ofthe edible material SO. A pair of identical images M1, identical in sizeand shape, e.g., mirror images to each other, may be hot-stamped ontoand attached by means of the adhesive layer 9 to both sides of ediblematerial SO as shown in FIG. 5, such that the images M1 aresubstantially symmetrical about the plane of the edible material SO.

This configuration hides the adhesive layer 9 between the film SO andthe hot-stamped images M1 so that it is hidden behind the images M1 andnot visible from the outside. In addition, if an edible material,wherein entire surfaces of both sides thereof are hot-stamped, is cutinto pieces and the pieces are placed in a beverage such as a liquor,the brightness of the gold or silver will show on both sides of eachpiece.

The bilaterally stamped edible material SO is not limited to identicalimages on both sides. For example, the bilaterally stamped ediblematerials SO may carry a gold imprint, hot-stamped on one side, and asilver imprint hot-stamped on the other side.

Further, the brightness of the gold or silver imprints used on each sidemay vary. Additionally, the colors of the films may also vary on eitherside. Thus, different types of imprints may be hot-stamped respectivelyon the sides of the edible material SO so as to produce a unique andfascinating image. An edible material SO having the entire surfaces ofboth sides thereof hot stamped with gold or silver imprints may also befolded as in paper folding craft and placed on a dish, achieving similareffects.

If an edible material SO having the entire surfaces of its two sideshot-stamped with gold or silver imprints is shredded with a cuttingtool, such as a Thompson blade, along lateral lines S1 as shown in FIG.6, or along lateral and longitudinal lines S2 and S3 as shown in FIG. 7,and the resulting shreds are put in a beverage such as a liquor, thenthe brightness or glitter of the gold or silver shows on both sides ofeach shredded edible material SO. Addition of a color layer is optional.However, the addition of a color layer interposed between the innerrelease layer and intermediate layer composed of one of gold and silvercoating or between the intermediate layer composed of one of gold andsilver coating and the adhesive layer, imparts unique features to thehot stamping material, which would otherwise be missing.

For example, a red color coated on top of or beneath intermediate layer8 imparts a reddish tint to the intermediate layer 8. Likewise, acoating containing pearl powder when present on top of, or underneaththe intermediate layer 8 composed of one of gold and silver coating,imparts a mixed appearance of pearl and gold or silver to theintermediate layer 8. According to another embodiment of the invention,there is provided a soluble edible material, wherein the hot-stampededible material is capable of being removed from the underlyingsubstrate while leaving behind the hot-stamped image still imprinted ontop of the underlying substrate.

For example, if the water-soluble edible material is placed in abeverage, the film will dissolve to leave the gold or silver filmcontaining the image floating (or sunk) in the beverage.

If a water-soluble edible material is placed on an edible substrate suchas food having a high moisture content or food that eventuallyencounters a moist environment or one that is capable of absorbingsubstantial moisture such as steamed food or food being steamed in asteamer etc., then the film will dissolve while leaving its gold orsilver imprint on the underlying edible substrate. Accordingly, the goldor silver image can be had or taken with the beverage or the food or thelike.

If the edible material is formed mainly of pullulan, the film will havehigh water solubility, high transparency, and high printing orhot-stamping suitability.

If the edible material SO hot-stamped with the image M1 of a character,pattern or design that is formed of a gold or silver film is placed onmoisture rich food, such as, and not by way of limitation, ice cream,cake frosting, agar, jelly, laver paste, fish, meat, fruit or food towhich moisture has been added, such as rice cake pellets to which soysauce is applied, then the edible material SO dissolves leaving theimage M1 imprinted on the food. The image M1 of a gold or silver filmattached to the food can be consumed together with the food.Additionally, the edible material SO will not be an obstacle when thefood containing moisture, such as cake, is cut by using a knife.

Water-soluble edible material SO may be attached to food substrates suchas a sweet bun or a candy, by steaming the food etc. with thewater-soluble edible material SO attached thereto, e.g., in a steamer.Essentially, the steam dissolves the edible material SO leaving the goldor silver image attached to the food etc. In the case of bread, cake orsimilar edible items, the water-soluble edible material SO is placed onthe dough prior to baking. After the dough is baked, a gold or silverimage M1 of a character, pattern or design is left imprinted to thebread or the like. Thus, the gold or silver image M1 may be imprinted onthe food either by baking or steaming.

If a water-soluble edible material is hot-stamped onto a substrate, theedible material can be easily removed to leave behind a hot-stampedimage on the underlying substrate such as food and or a beverage etc.

If the water-soluble edible material SO is placed in a liquid capable ofbeing consumed by a human, for example and not by way of limitation,cold and hot water, soups, juice, coffee, tee, liquor, or tempura dip,the edible material SO dissolves leaving the image M1 floating on thesurface of, or sunk in the liquid. Thus, the stamped image comprised ofone of gold and silver is provided in the liquid and can be consumed.FIG. 3 shows an image M1 floating in coffee C2 in a cup C1.

The edible material SO may also be placed on, or along with, or mixed invarious ethnic foods, such as Japanese, Chinese, French or Italiandishes. The edible material SO additionally may be placed on sushi laversheets (sea weed sheets), cooked adzuki-bean rice, cooked white rice,etc.

The film SO may also be attached to materials other than food fordecorative purposes. Furthermore, the image M1 of a character, patternor design as shown in FIG. 2 may be cut out together with the ediblematerial SO along a cutting line A1 surrounding the image M1 by using acutting tool, such as a Thompson blade, this results allows the cut-outpiece to be handled more easily, by means of fingers or college pliers.FIG. 4 shows a strawberry that is cut half and placed on top of a cakeC3 and an image M1 attached to the cut surface of the strawberry.

The thickness of the water soluble edible material SO may vary. In apreferred embodiment, the water-soluble edible material SO has asufficient thickness to facilitate handling the film SO by, e.g.,fingers. For example, if the edible material SO is composed of starch,such as pullulan, the thickness thereof is preferably from about 20 toabout 50 microns, to accommodate ease of handling and solubilityconcerns.

Shellac, forming the adhesive layer 9, does not readily adhere topullulan but readily adheres to zein. Zein is usually coated on thepullulan film as a membrane which imparts superior adhesion propertiesto the pullulan so that the pullulan adheres sufficiently to theshellac. Zein is insoluble in water, but soluble in an ethanol solutionof from 60 to 90 wt percent ethanol.

Accordingly, if a zein layer is provided on an edible material formedmainly of starch such as pullulan, a hot stamp material comprising anadhesive layer of shellac can be suitably used to hot-stamp the ediblematerial with an imprint formed of the gold or silver film. Thus, whenthe edible material SO consists essentially of a starch such aspullulan, the edible material SO needs to have a zein layer R1. Shellacstrongly adheres to the edible material SO composed of materials otherthan starch such as pullulan, therefore eliminating the need to have azein layer.

It is preferable to apply about 20 wt % zein solution at a rate of about1-2 gram per square meter to the edible material SO. However, the amountof zein applied is not restricted by these values.

In accordance with a feature of the present invention, the hot stampmaterial can be used to hot stamp an imprint of e.g., a character,pattern, or design on both edible and non-edible substrates. If theobject to be hot stamped is an edible substrate, then the entire object,including the edible substrate and the gold or silver film can be eaten.

Further, the hot stamp material can be formed into an image, even acomplicated or small and fine image, of a character, pattern or designwithout requiring an additional process of, for example, punching out orcutting out the image by using a blade, a knife or scissors.

Thus, the hot stamp material can provide a means for producing clearimages at low costs. Also, because the hot stamp material is suitablefor use in hot stamping substrates on a large scale, the hot stampmaterial enables mass-production of food or edible materials, such asedible materials, which are hot-stamped with gold or silver films.

To facilitate handling of the pullulan film SO, it may be stabilized bya support T1 made of a plastic film as in base 6 of hot stamp material5, as shown in FIG. 8. The pullulan film SO is attached to the supportT1 by means of a material Z1 with the pullulan film SO. Z1 ischaracterized as having poor adhesion properties sufficient to retainpullulan film SO on support T1. Material Z1 also prevents pullulan filmSO from peeling off support T1 even when the film SO is manipulated witha tool such as college pliers. Thus, this method improves the ability ofone to manipulate the pullulan film SO.

The material Z1 also prevents the pullulan film SO from peeling orshifting from the support T1 which might otherwise occur duringtransportation, and further prevents the pullulan film SO from curlingaway from its support T1 which would otherwise be caused by, forexample, a change in humidity.

The adhesive properties of the material Z1 are such that it readilyreleases the pullulan film SO upon peeling. Similarly, if thehot-stamped laminate is cut by using a cutting tool, such as a Thompsonblade, the pullulan film SO can be easily peeled from the support T1.

When the support T1 is made of paper or similar materials as in the base6, there is no need to provide a material Z1 between the support T1 andthe pullulan film SO.

If the hot stamp material 5 having an adhesive layer 9 formed of shellacis used to hot-stamp the edible (pullulan) film SO, it is preferred thata layer of zein R1 coat the top of the pullulan film SO supported by thesupport T1 by means of the sticky material Z1, as shown in FIG. 9. Thelayer R1 of zein, which is a protein from corn, is formed by applying asolution of zein and drying the applied solution.

Described hereinafter, are examples embodying a method for hot-stampingimages composed of gold or silver on edible material SO composed mainlyof a starch such as pullulan.

Initially, a laminate P1, shown in FIG. 10, is formed. Laminate P1includes support T2 made of a polyester film or the like; ediblematerial SO composed mainly of starch such as pullulan and supported bysupport T2; and a zein layer R1 formed on top of edible material SO.Thereafter, support T2 is removed from laminate P1. Laminate P1 is thenlaid over and attached to material Z1 without support T2, and supportedby support T1, which is made of a polyester film or the like, inaccordance with FIG. 11. The resulting laminate P2 is illustrated inFIG. 12.

Thus, material Z1 having poor adhesive properties is sandwiched betweenedible material SO and support T1. More specifically, zein layer R1,edible material SO, material Z1 with poor adhesion, and support T1 aresequentially laminated from top to bottom on the laminate P2.

Referring to FIG. 13, hot stamp material 5 is laid over laminate P2 inaccordance with FIG. 12, such that adhesive layer 9 is in a contactingrelationship with zein layer R1. Hot stamp material, as notedpreviously, includes base 6, composed of a polyester film or the like;release layer 7 formed of a release agent, consisting essentially of oneof silicone and acrylate copolymer; intermediate layer 8 composed of atleast one of gold and silver; and adhesive layer 9, formed of.

Metal board Q1 heated by means of heating plate H1 is pressed onto hotstamp material 5 against laminate P2, thereby hot stamping laminate P2.This may be accomplished by means of an up-down hot-stamp apparatus. Thehot stamp apparatus need not limited to the up-down apparatus, and mayfurther include hot-stamping apparatus exemplified by a cylinder type,roll type, or rolling type.

After the hot stamping process, hot stamp material 5 is removed, leavingbehind a hot-stamped imprint including intermediate layer 8 and adhesivelayer 9, attached to laminate P2.

Referring to FIG. 14, a process for hot-stamping print P3 is shown. Theprocess includes forming hot-stamped print P3 onto which support T1,material Z1, edible material SO, zein layer R1, adhesive layer 9 andintermediate layer 8 composed of at least one of gold and silver aresequentially laminated. Material Z1 is characterized as being weaklyadhered to support T1.

During hot stamping P3 onto an edible substrate, portions ofintermediate layer 8, composed of at least one of gold and silver, whichincludes image M1 corresponding to pattern R1 of metal plate Q1, istransferred to the substrate and attached to zein layer R1 by means ofadhesive layer 9.

If zein layer R1 and edible material SO are cut along cutting line A1surrounding image M1, so as to leave support T1 intact, then zein layerR1 and edible material SO surrounding image M1 may be peeled off frommaterial Z1, which is weakly attached to support T1. Refer to FIG. 16.This enables image M1 to remain on zein layer R1.

Accordingly, a patch of a laminate corresponding to image M1,exemplified by FIG. 17, wherein the laminate formed as shown in FIG. 14,is left attached to material Z1, supported by support T1.

It is noted that edible material SO, in view of its high watersolubility, tends to curl excessively. However, adhesion of material Z1to support T1, helps prevent edible material SO from curling, before andafter the hot stamping process. This allows for image M1, which waspreviously cut along the cutting line A1, to be easily peeled togetherwith edible material SO from the material Z1, which is supported bysupport T1. Referring to FIG. 17, image M1 can be peeled easily frommaterial Z1 with the aid of college pliers W1 as well as human fingers.The resulting image M1 can thereafter be placed on an edible materialsubstrate as described above.

The inner release layer 7, described previously as consistingessentially of a release agent composed mainly of silicone or acrylatecopolymer, may further include shellac. Shellac may be applied to hotstamp material 5 in the form of an ethanol solution of shellac.

Shellac need not only be used as an adhesive, but may find use as arelease agent in view of its superior thermoplastic properties. The useof shellac as a release agent is aided by the fact, that upon heating,as during the heat stamping process, shellac generally softens. Uponsoftening, shellac's adhesive properties are substantially impaired andis thus able to serve as an effective release agent.

Therefore, if adhesive layer 9 is formed of shellac, it softensconsiderably during the heating process, which substantially weakens theoverall adhesiveness of the shellac, thus enabling it to function as arelease agent.

However, zein layer R1 provided on edible material SO, can serves as aneffective adhesive, thereby compensating for reduction in adhesion ofthe shellac. The reason for effectuating the process wherein support T2is removed from laminate P1, as shown in FIG. 10, while the remainingedible material SO and the zein layer R1 are laid over and attached tothe material Z1 supported by the support T1 to form the laminate P2 asshown in FIG. 12 will be explained.

In general, a conventional commercial edible material SO, consistingessentially of starch, exemplified by pullulan, is usually supported bya plastic film, such as a polyester film, having a thickness of about 20microns, to facilitate its handling. However, the supporting film isgenerally very thin or weak to effectively prevent curling of the ediblematerial SO, during or after the hot stamping.

In view of this drawback, thin support T2 is generally replaced by athicker and stronger support T1 having a thickness of from 70 to about100 microns. The support T1 is attached by means of the material Z1 tothe edible material SO carrying the zein layer R1, attached thereto.

Described hereinafter is a hot stamping process, similar to the processillustrated in FIGS. 10 to 14, except that the support is composed ofpaper such as paper which is free from fluorescent dye, instead of aplastic film such as a polyester film. For purposes of thisillustration, "paper" generally refers to one that is free ofcontaminants such as fluorescent dye.

Referring to FIG. 19, a support T2 is removed from laminate P1 as shownpreviously in FIG. 10. Thereafter, laminate P1 without support T2 islaid over and attached to a support Y1, which is made of paper, as isillustrated in FIG. 18, to form a laminate P4.

Unlike support T1, which is mainly composed of a plastic film, thesupport Y1 is not provided with a material Z1. The resulting laminate P4includes zein layer R1, edible material SO, and support Y1 which aresequentially laminated.

Referring to FIG. 13, hot stamp material 5 which includes base 6 made ofa polyester film etc; an inner release layer 7, consisting essentiallyof one of silicone and acrylate copolymer; an intermediate layer 8containing one of gold and silver coated on the inner release layer; andan outer adhesive layer 9 formed of shellac applied to the intermediatelayer 8, is laid over laminate P4 as illustrated in FIG. 19, such thatadhesive layer 9 is in a contacting relationship with zein layer R1.

After the hot stamping process, hot stamp material 5 is removed, leavingan imprint of intermediate layer 8 containing one of gold and silvertogether with adhesive layer 9 on laminate P4.

Referring to FIG. 20, the process of hot stamping according to thisembodiment includes forming a hot-stamped laminate P5 wherein supportY1, edible material SO, zein layer R1, adhesive layer 9 and intermediatelayer 8 containing one of gold and silver are sequentially laminatedthereon.

Similar to the example illustrated in FIG. 15, only that portion of theintermediate layer containing one of gold and silver which forms imageM1 corresponding to the pattern of metal plate Q1 is hot-stamped.

Essentially, image M1 is transferred and attached by means of adhesivelayer 9 to zein layer R1.

It is noted that support Y1 which is made from paper does not require asubstrate such as material Z1 between the support Y1 and the ediblematerial SO composed mainly of starch such as pullulan, because pullulangenerally softens upon heating thereby adhering to support Y1.

Accordingly, support Y1 has the added advantage of not requiring asubstrate such as material Z1.

Further, because paper is inherently rigid and stiff compared to aplastic film, the support Y1 effectively prevents edible material SOfrom readily curling compared to its plastic counterpart.

A further advantage of using support Y1 is that its use substantiallyreduces the overall cost of practicing the present invention becauseunlike plastic films, paper is substantially less expensive and lesstoxic to the environment. White paper is preferable because it looksclean and is substantially hygienic.

The above-described supports T1, T2 and Y1 need not necessarily be cutin the form of cut sheets but may include rolls for example. The presentinvention is not limited to the above described embodiments or examples,but covers various modifications. For example, hot stamp material 5 mayfurther include additional layers, besides inner release layer 7,intermediate layer 8 and outer adhesive layer 9 sequentially adhered tobase layer 6.

As discussed above, additional layers may include a color layerinterposed between the inner release layer 7 and intermediate layer 8 orbetween the intermediate layer 8 and outer adhesive layer 9. Theadditional color layer may be provided on either or both sides ofintermediate layer 8 containing one of gold and silver. This optionallows one to impart various colors to the resulting hot stamp. It isnoted that the optional color layer should be consistent with theintermediate layer 8 containing one of gold and silver, in that thecolor layer should be edible and contain coloring additives that are nottoxic to mammals including humans.

For example, if an edible red ink layer is provided as the optionalcolor layer, in between the inner release layer 7 and intermediate layer8 or between intermediate layer 8 and outer adhesive layer 9, the redcolor layer will, in turn, impart, a reddish tint to the intermediatelayer 8 containing one of gold and silver.

Similarly, a mixed appearance of pearl and one of gold and silver can beimparted to intermediate layer 8 by incorporating pearl in the colorlayer.

The color layer consists of only coloring agents which are safe forconsumption by mammalia. Suitable coloring agents for use in the colorlayer include at least one of food colors made of fruit pigments oforange, cranberry, Japanese persimmon, Gardenia, Kusagi (Clerodendrontrichotomum THUMB), Uguisukagura (Lonicera caerulea L. var.emphyllocalyx NAKAI), and elderberry; vegetable pigments of red cabbageand purple cabbage; fish scale foil; sepia color; crawfish color; krillcolor; licorice color; caramel color; carob germ color; cacao color;turmeric oleoresin; madder color; annatto extract; alkanet color; andred kernel color.

Synthetic pigments may also be used. Indeed, a thin coating of puresilver or other edible metal may be provided as a coloring agent for usein the color layer.

Image M1 containing a character, pattern or design of one of a gold andsilver imprint previously hot-stamped on the edible material, need notbe limited to the above noted processes. Indeed, image M1 can betransferred to the underlying substrate by various methods, including,but not limited to, the process wherein image M1 is embossed by means ofa hot stamp plate containing a pattern which in effect adds furtherfeatures to image M1. Hot stamp material according to the presentinvention can be used to hot-stamp not only foods and edible materialssuch as edible film, but also, for example, materials made of paper,plastic, leather, or wood.

Having described preferred embodiments of the invention with referenceto the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changesand modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hot stamp material comprising:a base; an innerrelease layer consisting essentially of at least one material selectedfrom the group consisting of food additives, edible materials, andmaterials effective for coating food wrapping materials; an intermediatelayer including an edible gold coating; an outer adhesive layerconsisting of edible material; and wherein each of said inner releaselayer, intermediate layer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on saidbase.
 2. The hot stamp material according to claim 1, wherein saidintermediate layer consists of 94.4% gold, 4.9% silver, and 0.7% copper.3. The hot stamp material according to claim 1, wherein saidintermediate layer is applied in one of a sputtering or a vapordeposition operation.
 4. The hot stamp material according to claim 1,further comprising an edible color layer interposed between said innerrelease layer and said intermediate layer.
 5. The hot stamp materialaccording to claim 1, further comprising an edible color layerinterposed between said intermediate layer and said outer adhesivelayer.
 6. A hot stamp material according to claim 1, wherein said innerrelease layer consists essentially of silicone.
 7. A hot stamp materialaccording to claim 1, wherein said outer adhesive layer is shellac.
 8. Ahot stamp material comprising:a base; an inner release layer consistingessentially of at least one material selected from the group consistingof food additives, edible materials, and materials effective for coatingfood wrapping materials; an intermediate layer including a foilconsisting of an edible form of gold; an outer adhesive layer consistingof edible material; and wherein each of said inner release layer,intermediate layer and outer adhesive layer are laminated on said base.9. The hot stamp material according to claim 8, further comprising anedible color layer interposed between said inner release layer and saidintermediate layer.
 10. The hot stamp material according to claim 8,further comprising an edible color layer interposed between saidintermediate layer and said outer adhesive layer.
 11. The hot stampmaterial according to claim 8, wherein said release layer consistsessentially of silicone.
 12. The hot stamp material according to claim8, wherein said adhesive layer is shellac.
 13. The hot stamp materialaccording to claim 8, wherein said foil is formed from a sheet of saidedible form of gold, wherein said sheet is beaten or rolled to athickness of from 0.0001 to 0.0002 min.